


A Family of Four

by SSSRHA



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Crack and Angst, F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Friendship, Funny, Hilarious, No Uchiha Massacre, Parody, Slice of Life, Slow To Update, Uchiha Itachi Being a Good Brother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-08-16 17:50:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16499945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SSSRHA/pseuds/SSSRHA
Summary: In which the Uchiha family is amazingly complex...and disgustingly pedestrian at the same time.(They weren't falling apart, but they also weren't exactly in one piece, either. They were still family, though, and that was all that mattered.)





	1. Status Quo

**Itachi Uchiha**  loved his younger brother. At times, however, Sasuke found him quite overbearing. His love was constant, yet static. Don't get him wrong, Sasuke loved his older brother more than the Earth itself. He was also not so unaware of himself to not think that his desire was selfish. It was, however, what he wanted, and that could not be changed.

Itachi always thought the best of his little brother. Sasuke was grateful, and he returned the favor by always thinking the best of his elder brother. Their father, Fugaku, was always at work, so Itachi was the only father-figure Sasuke had. Despite how nice Itachi was, Sasuke was somewhat miserable.

Itachi would never put his foot down. Of course, he always knew what was best and Sasuke would always give in to him (because, honestly, Itachi was always right), but Itachi never once yelled at him. He never glared or screamed or even raised his voice, really. Itachi Uchiha would smile gently, explain why Sasuke was wrong, and then wait for Sasuke to understand because Sasuke was  _smart_  so of course he would understand.

Their mother, Mikoto, never raised her voice, either. Sasuke would never mistake her for timid, though. During one particularly stupid (on his behalf) argument, Mikoto, apparently having had enough of him, decided not to yell, but slap him across the face. Itachi Uchiha was, for some reason, horrified (Sasuke remembered the argument and would cringe constantly. He really was an idiot). He had confronted Mikoto about it and had gone so far as to  _scold_  her.

She, however, was a silent stone wall. When Itachi was done, she said four words in a monotone voice. " _Are you done, dear?"_  She then slapped Itachi, too. Itachi had stepped back, startled, while Mikoto calmly explained the fallacies in my logic and how a son shouldn't berate their mother. After the whole thing was over, she had smiled at both her children, apologized (but made sure that they knew they kind of deserved it), and then made Sasuke's favorite dinner (and since it was Sasuke's favorite, it was Itachi's favorite). It was an odd day.

That aside, Sasuke had learned something in all his years of life: When it came to his younger brother,  _Itachi was always right._  For Sasuke, Itachi knew best. Itachi was the best elder brother in the world, and the father he never really got to have. Itachi wouldn't have even  _had_  to be Sasuke's father-figure if their  _actual_  father had been home. Fugaku Uchiha wasn't, though. Fugaku Uchiha was the Uchiha Clan Head. He was the Chief of the Police Force. Fugaku Uchiha was important and since Sasuke wasn't oblivious (and he could take a hint), Sasuke understood that he was not.

By now, many textbooks already mentioned not only his father but also his older brother. Itachi Uchiha was the Clan genius. He was an ANBU, he had his full Sharingan, he was the pride of the Village. Sasuke would be mentioned in a footnote if even that. Mikoto? She's commonly referred to as "Fugaku Uchiha's wife". Sasuke knew this because, on a bit of a whim, he checked-out three textbooks on Konoha history (a rather interesting read, actually, though not exactly presented in the best of ways. Really, would it have killed the author to make it a bit funnier?).

Sasuke was walking back to the Public Library, textbooks in hand, with the most random facts floating through his head.  _Madara Uchiha was the one who named the Leaf Village. Contrary to popular belief, Hashirama Senju did not create the forests surrounding Konoha. Zashima Koroguri, the last member of the now-extinct Koroguri Clan, lead the first attack against the Cloud Village in the First Great Shinobi War. Tobirama Senju's favorite food was fresh fish._  All facts that would really get him nowhere in life (except possibly the one about Zashima Koroguri, that one seemed pretty important and would probably be on his graduation exam).

Sasuke opened the door to the Public Library, taking in the dim lighting and the odd smell. Not a lot of people came here anymore, and anyone who did was considered a "nerd". Not that Sasuke cared, really, since being a nerd implied that you were intelligent...which is more than most people could say about themselves.

He was obviously startled to find it jam-packed.

Sasuke carefully made his way through the crowd, weaving around all the bystanders and background characters in the epic saga that was his life. It took him quite a bit of time before he could maneuver himself to the front desk to talk to the librarian. He would have waited in line like a normal person...but the textbooks were heavy and he had just walked across the Village with them. The man he had cut in front of was startled for a moment, then made to shove him out of the way. That is, until he saw the fan on Sasuke's back. It was unlikely that anyone would recognize who he was just by looking at his face (though everyone would think twice when he mentioned that he was Sasuke Uchiha), but no civilian would dare to question a member of one of Konoha's two founding clans.

It was odd. This man had every right, and every reason, to confront him. Cutting in front of someone in a public line was actually a finable crime in Konoha. If taken to court (which was unlikely to happen, but then again, this was a hypothetical situation), the man would have definitely won the case (despite the fact that he was charging a minor). However, when most saw the Uchiha fan on someone's back, they immediately lost all of their complaints and arguments. It was a blessing and an annoyance at the same time.

The man, despite being obviously miffed, stayed silent, his hand back at his side. Konoha law aside, no one wanted to get on the Uchiha's bad side. The whispers of how the Uchiha were responsible for the Kyuubi attack remained, though instead of openly condemning the Clan, the people feared and respected them.

_Oh, how powerful they must be to control a Bijuu! How dangerous they must be to fight with the Yondaime Hokage! Oh, how skilled they must be to not have a single casualty during the attack!_

And, of course, the most important of all:

_Oh, how generous they must be to have made sure all the civilians and children were safe from danger!_

They didn't seem to realize that it was the Police Force, not the Clan, who ushered the defenseless to safety. While the Police Force is mainly made of Uchiha, it also had Hyuuga, Nara, Inuzuka, and clanless members. As for the Uchiha Clan as a whole?

Coincidently, most of the Shinobi Clan members were out of the Village on missions. Was there something bigger going on there? Sasuke did not know, nor did he particularly want to know. After all, ignorance is bliss.

The librarian might have disagreed, but she was a librarian, so that was a given.

Speaking of the librarian, she leaned over the counter and squinted at him. "Young man, you have to wait in line just like anyone else, you hear?"

Sasuke nodded. "I know, but these books are pretty heavy and I had to carry them across the Village."

The librarian sniffed. "Fine, but only this once. So, you want to turn them in?"

Sasuke nodded, handing them over to her. The woman looked over them, then glanced back up. "My my, it really has gotten crowded here, hasn't it?"

Sasuke once again nodded. "Last time I came in here, it was completely empty. You could have heard a pin drop."

"Indeed," the woman agreed. "It's so nice to know that all the young folks are getting back into reading." She paused, then looked over the counter at him again. "Listen here, young man, and listen good. TV shows and movies and all that nonsense will get you nowhere in life, got it? All that stuff is going to rot your brains and give you cancer, you know. Reading? Reading is where the fun is at. Everything from the longest epic to the most powerful jutsu has been written onto a book or scroll. Those televisions are going to get us into more trouble than they're worth, got that?"

Sasuke blinked. "Right," he said. "My family doesn't even own a television."

"Good, your parents have got a good head on their shoulders."

 _My_ _ **mother**_   _has a good head on her shoulders._  "Thank you," Sasuke said instead.

"Yes yes," the librarian said. "Now go, get another book, take it home, read it, and learn a thing or two. This world needs more readers."

"Yes Mrs. Tanegashima," Sasuke said obediently.

The librarian, Mrs. Tanegashima, nodded, and Sasuke walked off, his hands finally free, ready to devour his next textbook. 

* * *

 

 **Few knew**  Itachi Uchiha's secret. What was this secret?

Itachi Uchiha, heir of the Uchiha Clan, and prodigy of not just the Uchiha, but the whole Village, hated reading. From textbooks to novels to mission reports, he hated it all (which eventually led to his aversion to writing). It took him a great amount of willpower to sit down and open up a book and study. He would constantly, in his head, curse the man who had invented the written word.

What was wrong with just remembering something? People were getting by just fine before books came along!

Of course, then the sane part of his brain would point out how easily history could be lost when all there was to document it was someone's memory and words. Then his desperate part would shoot back with a snarky comment and mention the fact that you could make a video. The sane part would say how easy it was to edit film, then the desperate part would shoot back with how easy it was to erase words and white-out ink, then the two sides would argue on who was right, and it was at this point that Itachi would realize that both sides were stupid and that he still hadn't read a single word.

Lucky for him, he was a prodigy and his brain worked at twice, maybe thrice, the speed of a normal person, so the whole debate would only take thirty seconds to a minute which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't very much time. Through the whole thing, though, Itachi's face would stay calm and composed and his eyes would flit across the page as if he were reading something and not listening to the two screaming voices in his head.

In the end, Itachi was completely capable of reading and writing the necessary things (though—and this was quite a shock to everyone who found out—Itachi commonly wrote the wrong characters for words. He had his hiragana and katakana down pat, but he would constantly confuse two kanji that looked the same for each other, even though he could read with absolutely no problem. His father, mother, and many tutors had tried to work on it with him but no matter what they did, the problem persisted [the most insulting part was that his handwriting was  _beautiful])._

As a consequence of his hatred of the written word, Itachi loved television. It gave him a story without him having to read a single thing, information without having to decipher the complicated way creators wrote, and news without having to stare at the same boring font every morning.

And so, completely convinced, Itachi Uchiha went out and, using his own money, bought his family a television. Because  _surely_  his family loved television as much as he did. He could not, for the life of him, understand the look of pure, unadulterated  _horror_  on Sasuke's face when he returned home from the library.

Sasuke's grip on his textbook tightened. "Big Brother, why is there a...a  _television_  in our house?"

Itachi, confused, said, "I bought it. Isn't it great?"

"No!" Sasuke snapped at Itachi (and wasn't  _that_  an uncommon occurrence). "No, it is  _not_  'great'! It's going to rot our brains or...or give us  _cancer!_  I'm telling you, if we don't get that  _thing_  out of our house, we're going to wake up one day with an extra limb or something!"

Itachi frowned. "That's not how it works, Sasuke."

"Mrs. Tanegashima says that televisions are more trouble than they're worth!"

"Mrs. Tanegashima is an old woman whose salary hinges on the fact that people come to her library and read," Itachi replied.

"I'm pretty sure that's not how libraries work," Sasuke said.

"And I'm pretty sure that this television won't give us cancer. There, we're even."

Sasuke glared at his brother, but Itachi just smiled calmly back. Sasuke was suddenly reminded of how infuriatingly  _perfect_  Itachi was and how there was essentially nothing about him for Sasuke to hate, despite how much he wanted to. Itachi Uchiha was kind and smart and basically everything Sasuke needed.

And so Sasuke backed down. "Fine," he said, "but I'm not using it. In fact, I will not come within  _two meters_  of it, got that?"

Something close to hurt flashed across Itachi's face (at which point Sasuke realized that Itachi had gone out and  _bought_  that expensive piece of junk with  _his own money,_  presumably because he thought Sasuke and Mikoto would enjoy it [in that case, Sasuke prayed that his mother would like it because Sasuke had gone too far to go back]).

Then Itachi's face smoothed over. "I'm sorry, Sasuke, I thought you would like it. You don't have to use it."

"...will you?"

"I bought this for all of us," Itachi said.

It wasn't exactly an answer, but Sasuke could read between the lines. "Of course." And that was that.

It was at that point, though, that Sasuke felt a shudder go through the very universe itself. Sasuke interpreted it as the universe crying at the travesty of such an unholy device entering Sasuke's house. He was wrong, though. Oh so very wrong. At that moment, Sasuke should have marched straight into his bedroom, slammed his door shut, and refused to come out until he was well into his twenties. Maybe thirties. He should have quit the shinobi program and lived off of his inheritance as the Uchiha Clan Head's second son.

He should have done anything except go into his kitchen and study just to be extra sure that he passed his graduation exam on Monday with flying colors. But that was what he did because he just  _couldn't take a hint._

And so the universe shuddered again.

**_tbc_ **


	2. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Is...is he alive?"
> 
> "You know, I'm not sure."

**Sasuke, of** course, passed the Genin Exams with little effort.

_Amazing,_  a few of his peers thought.

_Inconceivable,_  his instructors thought.

_...Sasuke's taken the Exam?_  Fugaku Uchiha thought. He stared down at the note that his wife had written him with an increasing amount of horror.  _My son took the Genin Exams. Wasn't that going to happen in May?_  He looked up and squinted at his calendar.  _Oh. It's May._

_...holy crap, it's May!_

Fugaku, it seemed, was three months off. You couldn't blame him, really, as his work hours were long and laborious and the only reason he could tell what day of the week it was was that this one old lady always filed a report on suspicious teenagers in her neighborhood every Saturday. She hadn't done that in a while, actually.  _I should probably check up on her._  That aside, Fugaku couldn't clamp down on the amount of guilt that rose up on him.  _I didn't even help him study._

_...when was the last time I helped him study? In fact, when was the last time that I_ _ **saw**_   _him?_

He hadn't been home in a while, he realized. A few months, at least. He had taken to sleeping and eating in his office, and, honestly, he wouldn't even blame Mikoto at this point if she had started to cheat on him. He'd be bitter, of course, but it was more his fault than anyone else's.

"Lord Fugaku," a voice said so suddenly that Fugaku nearly fell from his chair, "here's the next batch of reports."

Takashi Uchiha was nothing special. He never made Jounin and had immediately been inducted into the Police Force when it became clear that he never would. It was the fate of every average Uchiha, and it wasn't a very bad one. It paid the bills and the members still saw action, just not as much as they would otherwise. However, he was also an  _Uchiha_ , which meant that the meaning of "average" was slightly skewed. True, he might not be Jounin, but he was definitely Special Jounin for his espionage and intel-gathering skills. Most of all, he had a mind of steel. He noticed things few others would.

It did not take a genius, though, to see that Fugaku Uchiha was shaken. "...Lord Fugaku? Are you alright?"

When Fugaku looked up, Takashi cringed. He had prominent bags under his eyes, a pale complexion, and a hazy, somewhat confused expression. He was obviously only awake through a large amount of coffee and sheer force of will.

"...Sukara?" he asked weakly.

"I'm Takashi, sir."

"Oh...I see." For the first time, it occurred to Takashi that, despite the fact that he was the infamous Wicked Eye Fugaku and a Hokage candidate, the Uchiha Clan Head may not be able to handle everything by himself.

"Lord Fugaku, why don't you take a break?"

A sigh. "I have too much work to do."

"Well...I could take over for a day or two." When Fugaku just looked him up and down, Takashi's face heated up a bit.  _Did I really just insinuate that I'm on par with Fugaku Uchiha?_

Fugaku, though, was too tired to care and jumped at the opportunity. "If you're sure that you can hold down the fort."

_Well, I can't back out now._ "Don't worry, Lord Fugaku, everything will be fine."

Fugaku nodded, letting out a large breath. A ghost of a smile made its way onto his face. "Thank you, Sukara."

"I'm Takashi."

"And I need some sleep." And so Fugaku Uchiha stumbled out of the room, leaving his slowly panicking underling inside. The reports suddenly seemed much more intimidating.  _I'm screwed, aren't I?_

* * *

**Something was**  wrong. Sasuke knew it when his father visited him for lunch. That fact alone was not a cause for panic, but then one would realize that Sasuke hadn't seen his father for many months...maybe even a year. So, of course, Sasuke inquired as to what was wrong. "Is everything alright, Father?"

Fugaku stared at his son for a second, then blinked, his brain processing what he had said. "Yes, Sasuke. Nothing's wrong."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because you passed the Genin Exams. Congratulations."

A little spark of... _something_  appeared in Sasuke's chest. Was it...was it happiness? Was it pride in finally getting his absent father's recognition? Was it-

Fugaku then proceeded to face-plant into the ground, causing everyone who was still in the room to give him an odd look. And, predictably, the little spark of light in Sasuke's chest was snuffed out. Using his foot, he nudged his father's arm. "Are you awake?" No answer.

From a few seats away, a boy with blond hair and blue eyes  _(Naruto, I think)_  asked, eyes wide, "Is...is he alive?"

_Nudge._  Still nothing. "You know, I'm not sure."

"O-Okay…"

Shrugging, Sasuke grabbed his textbook and lunch and proceeded to walk out of the room, content with the knowledge that Iruka would eventually be back to take care of his incapacitated—and quite possibly dead—father. 

* * *

**Itachi liked**  peace and quiet. Because of his current occupation as an ANBU Commander, he didn't get much of it. Sure, his team was nice and calm, but their victims were never quite as generous. Maybe he shouldn't complain too much about the fact that his targets screamed in terror when he shoved a sword in their chests, but Itachi never really gave that part of his mind much thought.  _Just leave it alone and let it do its own thing._

Indeed, other than the sound of Mikoto's knife as it hit the cutting board, the house was dead silent—well, there was also birds singing outside, but Itachi found the consistent, rhythmic thuds of his mother's blade much more calming. It was a small break in his hectic life and Itachi sat still in his living room, eyes closed, taking in the atmosphere.

And then Sasuke came home.

Normally, it wouldn't be a problem. Sasuke was trained in stealth and could enter their house silently—though not undetected. Itachi could just sit there in the silence and get some more quiet time while Sasuke started his homework. But no, that didn't happen this time because Sasuke was apparently in a bad mood. Itachi could tell by how the door slammed open. And by the fact that Sasuke was screaming bloody murder.

Itachi sat there for a second as Sasuke stormed into the room and started loudly yelling, his words unintelligible and his voice cracking on several occasions—not that Sasuke seemed to notice...or at least care. Finally, with a sigh, Itachi interrupted his brother. "Sasuke, can you say that again? Slower, this time."

Sasuke paused. "...I've been placed on a team with Naruto and Sakura Haruno."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Sakura as in the girl who punched you in the face when she thought you called her a bit-"

"Yes," Sasuke interjected tightly, "her."

"I see. And who's this Naruto you mentioned?"

"A guy in my class. He's got blond hair and blue eyes-"

"A Yamanaka?"

"No, no, he's an orphan, I think. He's always quiet and never causes much trouble.  _Something_  about him is suspicious, though. I swear, he's  _unnerving."_

"So you're paired with the girl who hates you and a boy who you're scared of?"

"I'm not scared of him."

"...right. My apologies, carry on."

Sasuke gave him a half-hearted glare, then sighed. "I just...I don't know what to do."

"Don't know what to do about what?"

"My team! One's a psychopath and the other one may quite possibly be some kind of creep. Oh, and don't even get me started on my  _sensei!"_

Now,  _this_  piqued Itachi's interest. Sasuke normally had a lot of respect for Jounin but, judging from the less-than-kind tone, he was apparently quite unhappy with this one. "Who's your Jounin-sensei?"

"Uh...Kakashi Hatake, I think. The thing, though, is that he arrived three hours late! Not only that, but he was still in his pajamas and stumbling around, bleary-eyed, and...and he  _hugged_  me and started sobbing some nonsense about not leaving again or something!"

Itachi stared blankly. "Kakashi?"

"I'm pretty sure that I already said that."

"As in Kakashi Hatake?"

"Yep."

"As in the elite Jounin Kakashi Hatake?"

"No, as in the idiotic, bumbling moron Kakashi Hatake...who just happens to be Jounin. By a pure stroke of luck, surely. In fact, I'll bring it up with the Hokage."

"Don't," Itachi wheezed, suddenly realizing that something was very wrong with his friend, "just...just spare me. Go study."

Sasuke ignored him. "Oh yeah, and you'll never guess what he did next!"

"I really,  _really_  don't want to know."

"He then hugged Naruto and started repeatedly apologizing for ' _not being there'_  or whatever. And then he went to Sakura and hugged  _her_  and promised that he would not let everything go wrong this time."

"This time?"

"I don't know, I was also confused."

"I see."

"So, yeah, I'm going to go to the Hokage now and request a new Jounin-sensei. I was going to ask Naruto if he wanted to come, but Naruto wouldn't answer me, and Sakura...well, she's  _scary."_

"Sasuke, don't report your sensei, it's impolite." A pause. "Wait two weeks then subtly drop hints in the Hokage's presence that you don't appreciate him. Or, you know, you can try and assassinate him in his sleep. But that's  _only_  acceptable after two weeks, is that understood?"

Sasuke wilted. "Yes, Brother."

"Good." Itachi slowly stood up. "I'll be out in the garden if you need me. Don't be too loud." He glanced around a bit before leaning down and whispering into Sasuke's ear. "Oh, and did you get anything for Father?"

Sasuke blinked. "What?"

"Father. Today's his birthday. I told you about this last week. What did you get him?"

Sasuke's stomach dropped. "O-Oh," he said. "O-Of course. How could I forget?"

Itachi gave him a small, proud smile. "Good job, Sasuke. I knew you would remember. Where is it?"

"You see, I—uh—accidentally left it at the Academy. I'll go get it."  _And make sure someone took care of Father._

"Okay, good. Be quick about it, Mother's cooking something special." His smile widened. "Father's finally coming home." At which point Sasuke finally felt like a horrible person. It was less the realization that he had left his father to fend for himself on his birthday—not that that  _wasn't_  making him feel bad—but more that he was lying to Itachi.

...well, that in and of itself was suspicious. One does not simply lie to Itachi. No, Itachi was a trained shinobi who could tell when an enemy ninja was lying just by the twitch of their nose. Itachi was calmly walking out into the garden now, though, and Sasuke had long since learned not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Turning around, he walked out of the house with two goals in mind: make sure that his father was still alive and well, and find him a birthday present. 

* * *

**Mikoto quietly**  chopped some onions, tears leaking down her face.  _I'm a Jounin and yet I still tear up when I cut onions. Maybe I should up my training a bit._  Being both a mother and an active shinobi was hard, but Mikoto was no useless little girl. Ever since Fugaku fell into the black hole that was paperwork, he hadn't been out and about. Clan morale couldn't fall, so Mikoto acted as a sort of regent for her somewhat-absent husband. She got put back on the active shinobi roster and had been going out daily to meet with people. When people asked what had happened to her husband, she gave them the truth: "Paperwork is a beast that my husband is valiantly battling." She had been in the vicinity of the Hokage, who had nodded sagely.

As she started to once again go out on missions, though, she realized something:  _I've become pathetic._  Her skills were still sharp and definitely at high-Jounin level...but she had lost everyone's respect. She was no longer the Red Death whose sharingan—even the base version—struck terror in the hearts of all who saw it. She was no longer the war hero who cut off five of Iwa's supply lines, took on twenty-five highly-trained enemy-nin without back up—and won spectacularly—and single-handedly saved a small village on the outskirts of Konohagakure. She was no longer the best friend of the Red Hot Habanero and confident of the Fourth Hokage.

Now, she was just Fugaku's wife. She was the demure little Uchiha Clan Matriarch. A housewife of no note. The worst part was, she had  _let_  it happen. She had  _let_  someone marry her off. She had  _let_  them kill her spunk and fire and replace it with some delicate flower that she no longer recognized when she looked in the mirror.  _Completely subservient to my husband._  She loved Fugaku, she truly did, but she was bitter at the part he played in her transformation.

She hadn't realized it until her first A-rank after coming out of retirement. The rush of flying through the air, jumping from tree to tree. The feeling of power when you  _finally_  get the upper hand over your opponent. The absolute  _glee_  when your kunai slices right across their neck and they drop to the ground, dead. Yes, that was when she realized it.  _I miss this. I won't let anyone take it away from me again._

_**Thud.**_  Mikoto blinked and looked down, then sighed. Her knife had gone straight through her cutting board.  _Again._  Suddenly filled with a large amount of rage and frustration—at what, she didn't know—she turned around and stalked out of the kitchen.  _And how pathetic is it that the room where I spend most of my time is the kitchen? I've never liked to cook!_

She looked down the dark, silent hallways.  _And this house, it's so bare! I used to_ _ **love**_   _art! There isn't a single painting in this house!_

She glanced outside the windows into the backyard.  _A garden! An actual_ _ **garden**_ _! There aren't even any potentially poisonous plants in there—they're all flowers! And I know every single one of their names, too! I used to scowl at flowers!_

Her eye caught her son, then she glanced over at the front door. Sasuke's slippers stood there, in pristine condition as always.  _And children! I've never even liked kids! Yet I let myself birth two of them! What is wrong with me?! Why I should-_

She paused.  _No, no. I'm being ridiculous. None of this is Sasuke or Itachi's fault and every mistake is at least partly_ _ **my**_   _fault._  Besides, she may have never liked children, but she loved her sons fiercely.  _It's time for some change…_

"Itachi," she called. Itachi, who was in the backyard, turned.

"Yes, Mother?"

"I'm going out."

"For what?"

"I'm going to sign up for some art classes and buy some more plants."

Itachi stared at her blankly. "...okay. Don't forget, though, it's Father's birthday."

A smirk grew on Mikoto's face and Itachi nearly blanched in surprise. "Oh, I  _know._  It might be a special occasion, but we're going to have a discussion tonight." She paused. " _All_  of us are."

"...of course, Mother."

"Be safe!"

"Yes, Mother."

* * *

**Sasuke forced**  himself to not seem like he was in a hurry. Heavy books were one thing, but looking like he cared about someone's birthday—even if it was his father's—would ruin his reputation. He slowly felt guilt creep up on him as he kept his face carefully blank.  _I left my father unconscious on the Academy floor on his birthday._  Of course, that thought was completely overshadowed by another:  _I lied to Itachi._

_Well, he deserves it for buying a TV,_  another part of his mind said.  _I don't care what he says, it's putting our health at risk._

_But Big Brother said it wouldn't and Big Brother is always right!_  his Itachi-worshipping side retorted. The other side stayed silent and Sasuke once again assured himself that, yes, his elder brother was perfect in every way humanly—and inhumanly—possible. Except when it came to technology because then Itachi just became some kind of crazed fanatic.

That aside, Sasuke kept on walking, nodding to fellow Clan members and people from other Clans—and ignoring everyone else because they weren't really important. Eventually, he made it to the Academy. The doors were locked but Sasuke could get inside with relative ease. The locked doors were just a formality, after all. Students learned how to pick them in the First Year—they actually practiced on the school locks themselves, which Sasuke found was quite a good way to say that students were allowed to come to school after hours if they needed to.

He walked through the hallways before finally reaching his classroom and knocking on its door. "Come in!"

Iruka Umino looked up from his paperwork then blinked. "Sasuke, how nice to see you! Is there anything you need?"

Sasuke scanned the room. "Where is my father?"

"...you don't mean the man who was passed out on the floor and all the students were too afraid to touch, do you?"

"That's exactly who I'm referring to."

Iruka cleared his throat. "Lord Fugaku—your father—randomly stood up, muttered an apology, then left."

Sasuke frowned. "Left?"

"Yes. He walked into a wall before jumping out the window."

"I see...do you happen to know where he was heading to?"

"I'm afraid I don't. Do you need help finding him, Sasuke?"

Sasuke waved him off. "No, it's fine. He probably went back to his office—the jerk."

"Er, if you need anything-"

"I'll come right to you." There was a pause. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei."

"You're welcome, Sasuke."

The only thought going through Sasuke's head, though, was:  _He better not have accidentally walked off a cliff._

**_tbc_ **


End file.
